The Doom That Came To Yamaku
by Splosh
Summary: After Hisao and Lilly restore their relationship, Akira, residing in Scotland, decides to spice everyone's lives up a bit...
1. Chapter 1

A gibbous moon rose high over a hazy moor, its baleful light glaring over the eerie expanse of damp bracken through a thin blanket of cloud, casting shadows of deepest black to contrast with the spectral glow. The air was silent yet carried a weak breeze which tousled the blonde hair of the lone figure, and the skies seemed nervous or tense, as though they knew what was to come soon. It was as if the Earth itself was holding its breath.

Chill air clung around the figure like a cloak, but it did not shiver, merely glancing dispassionately around as though unimpressed by the display. A bat flapped overhead on its nightly hunt, searching for insects. The figure left it alone because bats are pretty cool. Clutching a lit cigarette between two long bony fingers, it took a deep drag before exhaling, the smoke adding to the fog of the night. The end smouldered pungently, nearing its end, so it was discarded by the figure who flung the butt as hard as it could, trusting the latent moisture to extinguish the piteous flame. In the absence of a cigarette to occupy its thoughts, the blonde-haired person began to dwell on the plan.

Everything was going according to it, of course. She'd given the broken heart enough of a nudge to reclaim his blind goddess, leaving them to occupy the East even as it began to accumulate power in the West. Surpassing itself, it had even managed to obtain the final reagent for the crucial sacrificial rite. Now all that was left was to sow a little discord amongst those who thought themselves its fellows – and was there anything that it was better at? It allowed itself a moment of satisfaction, eyes glinting a smug red in the pale ambience.

A drop of dew fell from a silver cufflink upon the figure's impeccable pinstripe jacket. This was what reminded it to ask itself a simple question: _What am I doing here?_

The simplest things in life are often the best, and so the mysterious blonde was forced to concede that the question was a very good one. It certainly cut a sharp figure given the setting, but then there was nobody else to see it. Shrugging, it turned uncertainly back to where it had come from. _Must have looked cool at the time_ , it thought, bringing out another cigarette and lighting it for the short walk back.

Akira Satou smirked around her cigarette. _Well played, me_.

The bat soon flew back lopsidedly in the same direction once it had eaten its fill. By pure coincidence they were not only headed in the same direction, but also towards the same place.

Taking long, powerful strides up a small hill, the imaginatively-titled Satou House loomed imposingly in front of her, looking wan and pallid with the moon's radiance. She and the sacrifice had begged to crash at her parents' while they sorted out some accommodation of their own, but soon it wouldn't be necessary to kowtow and bend to her parents' wishes. Soon, the world would bow to hers.

Oh great, now she was monologuing. She'd certainly have to break that particular habit if she wanted to get anywhere. Bad form, Akira, bad form. As the witching hour was drawing to a close, even faithful old Jameson had turned in for the night. However, no door dared remain locked when Akira Satou stood in front of it. As it creaked obediently open, she stepped through smartly, closing and re-locking it as she went.

Striding past the dead fire, she spared a glance for the ornate mantelpiece and the pair of duelling pistols neatly placed on top of them. Akira theorised they were placed there by her father in the hopes of one day duelling his brother-in-law if Jigoro ever visited Scotland, and she hoped they wouldn't become important later on. She moved through the dining room and kitchen, taking the cold dank steps down to the wine cellar. Both Akira's mother and father had grown a strong affection for wine as middle age claimed them, and Akira certainly appreciated a bottle or two, as did Lilly even if she was too young for alcohol. Perhaps it was hereditary.

Down in the cellar, every surface was hard so each footstep produced a nice pinging echo. At the flick of a switch, incongruously modern lighting immediately illuminated the underground area. The floor was of stone flags and cement, with one exception – a single spot in the corner, hidden in the shadow of one of the wine cabinets, maybe an inch wide, was black and deathly cold. When her parents had noticed it, they'd had it reflagged but the spot had returned within two weeks. Only Akira knew its significance, and she often checked to see whether it was still there, even when she always knew it would be. So much of her plan depended upon it.

Eventually, of course, they'd given up and told Akira to get something unimportant and cover the unsightly mark. She'd chosen a plain, unassuming porcelain teaset and nobody had been any the wiser.

Smiling pleasantly, Akira lifted it up by the tray, ignoring the eldritch whispers. Still there? Yep. Good.

In four days time, a half moon would rise in the night. Then, and only then, could the sacrifice begin. Content, Akira carefully placed the teaset back down and tromped off to bed. Now the waiting bit could begin. She loved those.

The bat flew back and roosted with its battish companions in the roof void.


	2. Chapter 2

Akira woke late, opening her dark red eyes and surveying an otherwise empty bed. She remembered yesterday that her boyfrie- ahem, sacrifice would be leaving early to pick up a car so he could get a job easier. His English was fair (better than her father's anyway) and he had a good degree so he'd have little trouble finding somewhere to work. Actually, scratch that. In three and a half days he'd be a bit worse than dead. She hoped he found a job before then, and wondered if she could take the car back afterwards.

After a brief shower she pulled on a suit and jogged downstairs, past a particularly ugly and dull painting. She saw the sullen rainclouds and the profligate, prestigious proportion of precipitation. At least, due to the wonders of technology, she could stay indoors and get her work done via computer. As she entered her study and pressed the power button, she thought of Lilly and Hisao. Lilly had called her to tell her the news about graduation, confirming that they'd be going to the same college, which was a nice thought, but exactly how would they spend four long weeks in the old summer house in Hokkaido? Akira grinned indulgently at the thought. Then again, Hideaki would need a new minder and she couldn't see Jigoro putting up with the kid for long. Perhaps he'd have to come along with them, putting paid to any shenanigans they had planned.

The grin evolved into a dark chuckle. Just then, she heard a voice behind her.

"Miss Satou?" said Jameson behind her.

"The one and only," she replied cheekily as she span round to see what he wanted. A walking stereotype from tip to toe, Jameson sported medium-length black hair with more than a few greys interspersed within, a golden monocle, spotless white gloves that remained spotless no matter what, perfect straight-backed posture, and perhaps the only suit in the world more impeccable than Akira's own trademark pinstripe. She let him have that as she quite liked him. Very reliable.

"Your father left a message for you."

"Was it very angry? It's always very angry."

"Quite, Miss Satou. Master Shichiro was adamant that you look at Hayata's claim as soon as possible, he said it was extremely urgent."

"On it," replied Akira, minimizing her emails and pulling up Hayata's claim... No, that can't be right. Some people, always wanting money from you... Well, this would take a while to clear up. Mentally preparing herself, she thought about what her favourite sister and her boyfriend were up to. By now they've got to have had a couple of days at Hokkaido, and she _was_ rather curious about what they were getting up to... Akira focused her mind, throwing her senses halfway across the world and hours forward in time to satisfy her curiosity.

Hisao had been up bright and early, woken by the strong sunlight that the hastily-drawn curtains had utterly failed to block out. Taking care not to wake Lilly up he'd crept out of bed and went on a walk around the fields, having a little reminisce as he wandered through the green wheat that had been gold on that memorable afternoon. Was this where she had stood? Was this where they had embraced?

He stopped at a spot and looked back up at the house where his girlfriend lay asleep, and smiled. It was at Lilly's behest that he started walking at all, on the grounds that the exercise would help his arrhythmia. At Yamaku he was busy studying and hanging out with Lilly and Hanako but now he had four weeks of time to kill so he may as well do something productive with it. Maybe tomorrow he's go for a jog, but he enjoyed this walk.

Bathing his brain in warm fuzzies totally distracted him when he opened the door and ran into Hideaki. Fortunately, he'd just bumped his shoulder lightly so there was no foreboding ache in his chest, but Hideaki fell down with a soft "Eep." Quickly clambering back up and gazing at Hisao in that disarmingly awkward way of his, he said, "Lilly is still not up."

"I wouldn't expect her to be, it's seven in the morning."

"That is no excuse. I am awake at this time."

Hisao sighed. He would have thought of Hideaki's robotic demeanour as standoffish if he hadn't spent enough time with him to know that it was just how the lad was.

"Yes, but she was up a lot later than you were last night," he explained patiently. Hideaki didn't appreciate the patronising tone, as his posture turned rigid and he glared at Hisao, puffing his chest out as angrily and impressively as he could manage.

"I sleep early to keep my brain in good condition."

There was obviously no more to be gained from this conversation. Hisao turned through into the living room and sat on the couch, flipping on the TV to the news which held nothing of interest. He'd give her another half hour, he decided. Hideaki had followed him in, padding softly across the room and perching on a wooden chair to take in the news.

"So, um... sorry for bumping into you," said Hisao, trying to make small talk even though he already saw the futility of the gesture.

"It is ok, I am unhurt," said Hideaki, not bothering to look away from the television and fulfilling Hisao's expectation.

The awkward silence ensued until the news programme ended and the time came to half past seven. Grateful for the excuse to not be in the same room as Hideaki, he stepped into the kitchen, filling and switching the kettle on as he looked through the window outside. It was mainly grassy hills and a small, pleasant-looking pine forest in the distance that Hisao planned to walk through one day. Once the kettle was boiling, he made a couple of cups of Lilly's favourite French vanilla tea. Calling into the living room, he asked, "Do you want a cup of tea, Hideaki?" despite already knowing the answer.

"I do not like tea," was the curt reply. Shrugging, Hisao set the cups upon a plastic tray and came back through the living room to the hall carrying it. Going upstairs, he could hear no sign that Lilly was awake yet. Maybe she was just taking the opportunity to get plenty of sleep now that the school year was over. Quietly opening the door, he saw that she lay in bed on her side facing him, eyes closed, expression blissful. He hated to interrupt her sleep but he gave her a weak nudge anyway. She woke up immediately, eyes opening, her expression changing quickly to puzzlement and mild annoyance.

"Hi, I brought you tea."

She rearranged herself so she lay on her back, inhaling deeply to get a whiff of the tea and smiling nostalgically.

"It smells delicious. French vanilla, I take it?"

"As always. I've got a tray, I thought you might want a little pick-me-up," Hisao replied. She sat up, exposing her usual navy-blue pyjamas and allowing him to place the tea tray on her lap. He took his own cup, letting her feel around for her own as she hooked her slender fingers through the handle and lifted it slowly to her lips for a small sip. Her smile widened.

"Mm, it tastes good. I'll have to keep you around, Hisao – you're good at making me tea," she teased lightheartedly. Hisao smirked at the jest.

"I learned from the best."

"Mm. Incidentally, what is the time?"

"It's just past seven thirty."

"Is it really that early? You could have left me there for another hour, Hisao," said Lilly, slightly disgruntled.

Growing bored of their insipid banter, Akira stopped observing, pulling herself back to reality and the finally finished claim. Looks like Hayata would be going without his compensation. Jameson had left the room, leaving her with the rest of the day's work. She grimaced.

 _Easy, girl. Keep it calm. Three and a bit days and there won't be any more of this mundane stuff. When the half moon rises, then things will be a little different to how they were before._

The grimace became a smile, and the smile turned cruel. Somewhere, deep within the dark places of the Earth where no living thing trod, a harsh laugh rang out.


	3. Chapter 3

Most of the old Greek families have either died out or moved away and forgotten their heritage. Of those who remain, only a few of the eldest know of, and speak in hushed whispers of a small island that is wholly unknown to us and is host to supernatural powers that bear great malevolence to humans. They tell this story to the young ones of their family to stop them from misbehaving and to instil fear into them. While the tale has been distorted by word of mouth and personal interpretation, all versions have a few things in common – one of which was the temple at the centre of the island. In one version, it was fashioned by Hephaestus out of the blackest stone as part of a pact with his sister, whereas in another it was born from the labours of her mortal followers. In any case, the temple exists deep in wilderness at the bottom of a deep, wide valley.

The entrance is no grander than any other shrine to the Greek gods, but as one continues they enter a maze full of dead ends and traps which feature technology far beyond the ancient Greeks. Most that entered the labyrinth never found their way back out, and those who managed to get further in rarely spoke of what they encountered. Different interpretations of the story include great mythical beasts, a room of pure darkness, and many other fanciful traps. A single adventurer managed to penetrate these elaborate and nigh-impregnable defences, and provided the tale with another point of commonality and another fragment of the truth.

A gigantic chamber lies deep within the bowels of this fortress-cum-temple. Like the rest of the temple it is made from black stone, lit dimly by torches of eternal flame that are set on the walls. Deep, jagged incisions are made into the floor, made as if at random by the claws of some massive creature in an infernal frenzy. A constant scratching noise can be heard as if from every point in the room at once, and its volume never changes no matter where in the room one stands. What is most interesting about this room, though, is the statue that stands at the far wall.

In contrast to the tenebrous hall, the statue is mainly fashioned of white marble that seems to give off a sallow light. It portrays a nude woman standing in a neutral pose, her body thin and featureless in comparison to the voluptuous effigies of other goddesses. Her face is androgynous, her uneven hair represented by spikes of pale gold. Twin rubies of exquisite quality are set in the eye sockets, gleaming in a red gaze at any intruders. Taken by a wild sense of discovery, the adventurer dared to caress the face of the statue.

It was as warm as a living human.

This was the most detailed part of the tale, and the vivid imaginations of children twisted it into nightmarish shapes so it would haunt their dreams for several weeks afterwards. Of course, even that was nothing compared to the reality.

Nobody knows the daring adventurer's name anymore. It's said that the vengeful goddess, enraged by his desecration, cursed him to lose his name. Thus, he forgot it and everybody else who heard of it also had it slip from their memories. Even if written down letter by letter, the complete word looked like gibberish and held no meaning for anyone.

You may think this is a tame curse to put on someone for sacrilege. You've also probably never spent twenty years never being referred to by name, only as 'you' or 'him' or 'the unnamed', watching as everybody around you slowly forgets who you are. There's a lot in a name.

This also meant that when he died gibbering and alone that there was no name to assign the myth to, so he and his life's masterpiece were forever consigned to obscurity.

This island hasn't had mortal man set foot upon it in over two millennia.

Perhaps that's for the best.

Done for the day, Akira sighed as she looked out of the window. It had been raining all day, although its intensity had lessened somewhat as the hours dragged by. At least it was warm and toasty in the mansion, away from the spring's rain as it flailed in its infancy.

Rolling her shoulders as she stood, her knees popped and her elbows popped and her neck popped as she tilted her head from side to side, powering the computer off and sauntering out of the room. On a whim as she headed down to the kitchen to fix a spot of food, she slipped her phone out of her pocket and called up Lilly.

Hideaki picked up, to her mild surprise. "Hello, who is this?"

Of course, he couldn't read Braille, could he? "Hey, squirt. It's Akira, just calling up to see how you three were."

He fell silent for a few seconds, and she knew he was mentally preparing himself for the conversation ahead.

"Hisao and I are awake and dressed while Lilly is still in bed. Hisao and Lilly are having tea."

"Did they get you any?"

"I do not like tea."

"Same. So, how ya doing?"

"I am bored. There is nothing to do."

Akira felt sympathy. Having been cooped up in that house while caring for Lilly, she often spent her evenings wishing she had a few books to pass the time with. After all, there's only so much walking you can do around the area, and the town's ages away and holds nothing of interest unless you really like antiques and basic groceries.

"I know how that one feels," Akira answered with a low chuckle. "How's my favourite sister doin'?"

"She is doing fine, though she is still tired from the flight. She told Nakai to start walking every morning and he has done so."

"Getting some exercise for his arrhythmia, I guess... Good for them, then." She could find a way to segue the conversation in the way she wanted to, so she settled for a blunt approach. "So, how's your knowledge of Ancient Greece?"

"Greece is a country in Europe. I have heard of two of the myths: the one with Medusa and the one with the minotaur."

"Good times. Ever heard of a lady called Eris?"

"I do not think so."

"Good, then this'll be a little lesson. So ya know the Iliad, right?"

"I have wanted to read that but my father does not have it."

"I won't spoil the ending, then. Basically, three goddesses get into a fight over a golden apple and somehow a war starts. Now, the goddess who flung the apple was called Eris."

"Ah, so she starts the plot."

"Yup. I learned this little titbit a couple of days back, actually: do you know what the Japanese rendering of Eris is?"

"I do not know, but it is something relevant to you, I think."

 _More than you know, kid._ "Akira."

"You share a name with a goddess from Ancient Greece." Hideaki had a way of making the awesome sound utterly mundane, merely in the mechanical way in which he said things, especially when stating the obvious.

"Yup. Pretty cool, huh?"

"...Yes."

"There's hope for you yet," she murmured quietly to herself. "So I guess that's it. Give Lilly and Hisao my best, will ya? Good. Byeeee!"

"Goodbye, Akira," said Hideaki disinterestedly, and she hung up, pocketing her phone with a devious smile. Now, she could probably get away with an omelette before dinner...

The bat stirred in its sleep, a few metres above Akira's bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

Hisao and Lilly took a stroll around town after a light lunch to pick up provisions for the next week. They'd taken a bit of food with them to tide them over for the first couple of days but now they needed to restock the larder. The long walk down was exacerbated by Lilly's slow speed as she made the familiar wide sweeping motions with the cane while walking, but he was used to slowing himself down to accommodate so he didn't complain.

The village was idyllic at first glance, but prettiness doth not a good town make. Hisao was forcibly reminded of the town just outside Yamaku in that both there and this little town seemed populated exclusively by the elderly, many of whom shot glances at the two as they went by, either curious about Lilly's evident blindness or jealous of their youth. Hisao smiled wryly to himself as they continued to the convenience store. 'Grocery Shop - open 24 hours a day and all year round', the sign outside proudly boasted in faded red lettering. The store wasn't busy at all, just a few elderly people wandering around the aisles, squinting at items.

Fumbling in his pocket for the shopping list, Hisao uncrumpled it and tried to decipher his hasty scrawls. "We need some eggs."

"They should be along here, I think," she replied, heading down an aisle to the right and running her fingers along the left side, quickly identifying the cardboard egg carton by its feel and shape and handing it to Hisao who plopped it into the basket. "There are twelve there," he told Lilly, "That should be enough, I think."

After similarly getting some vegetables, bacon and ready-made meals, Lilly paid and they were on their way out when Hisao saw someone who made his blood curdle.

Perhaps the worst of it was that he was casually dressed – well, almost. Even in the relative warmth of the spring sun he was dressed in a heavy jacket and that accursed red and yellow striped scarf. Hisao had grown so used to seeing him in his uniform that it didn't ever occur to him that he wore anything outside of Yamaku. He also cursed the powers of the universe for making it so that Kenji Setou, scourge of feminists and (legally) blind recent graduate of Yamaku Academy, was here on Hokkaido, heading on a collision course with him.

He had to pull off an awkward manoeuvre whereby he opened the door and sidestepped the dreaded former student, moving past him and holding it open for him. "Thanks, man," he muttered as he shuffled in, shoulder brushing the doorframe. Fortunately, Lilly heard him coming and patiently waited as he walked by. After she was sure the coast was clear, she stepped out alongside Hisao through the door that he held open."Thank you, Hisao," she smiled as she took his arm instead of using the cane. They'd managed to fit all the groceries into one bag and he was carrying it, so switching hands when it became too heavy was now going to be a struggle. Ah well.

"Do we know that boy that went in just then? His voice seemed familiar..."

"I think we'll wait until we're a safe distance before I tell you," said Hisao irritably.

As the shop disappeared around a corner, Hisao exhaled. "That was Kenji, he used to be in your class."

"Oh? He was very quiet in class, we should have said hello."

"I lived opposite him, he was anything but quiet. He'd probably accuse us of brainwashing him for the secret feminist society and attack us with the first thing he could grab."

"Really? I suppose you encountered him a lot more than I did so your assessment is more accurate."

"Did you know he once ambushed me in the shower purely to ask for money?"

Lilly was taken aback by this revelation. "Really?"

"Yes, he was naked and everything."

She giggled. "It must have been a sight to behold, then."

"Heh. I guess it was... oops."No matter how much he tried, he always got caught in a figure of speech involving vision and he always apologised for it.

Lilly tutted in response and waved her hand dismissively, her face settling into a neutral smile. "It doesn't matter, Hisao."

Awkward silence. Then, in an attempt to lighten the mood, Hisao said, "I guess Hanako never tried it on you."

That did it. Lilly started laughing uproariously, her body rocking and pulling Hisao off balance. He joined in, wrapping his other arm around her for support as they plodded off back to the house as a strange, laughing four-legged animal. They passed a busker on a violin. He accidentally struck a loud, discordant note that was offensive to the ears, but Lilly and Hisao did not notice, lost in their humourous reverie.

Akira pulled herself back to herself, a fraction of consciousness returning to the nest as swiftly as a thought. The first thing she did was frown at the lame joke. Surely she hadn't raised Lilly to have a sense of humour that crappy. No matter, anyway. Another couple of days and the spice of life would soon become the main course... damn she was hungry. She'd only had that omelette three hours ago and a nice cock-a-leekie soup for dinner an hour after that. Maybe the anticipation was getting to her, or perhaps the spell was already draining her energy. She didn't care too much about that, though.

The bat flew back out to the moor for more insects. It didn't come back in the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

Two days later, the sacrifice was tied to the floor in the cellar, labouring under the false delusion that pleasurable things were going to happen to him. Pink fluffy handcuffs bound his wrists, and bondage tape held his ankles together and sealed his lips. By pure coincidence, he lay over the black spot upon the floor. Akira stood over her prey as he wiggled around in anticipation, giving him a cold glance as a smirk threatened to appear. "Ah-ah, can't have that," she chided, trying to think of some meaningful last words to say to him as the moon crept along the sky. Soon the appointed time would arrive and this show, as they say, could go on the road.

Flicking her wrist up to her face, an opulent and rather expensive watch told her that she had around a minute left. May as well let the cat out of the bag, then. "I'm sure you're wondering why you're down here, babe," she began, his adoring gaze spurring her on. "Tonight's gonna be a _very_ special night, but not how you think. I've waited a long time for this, longer than you know. Y'see, babe..." she hunkered down, whispering in his ear. "You're gonna die tonight. Don't worry, though – where you're going you'll have plenty of company." His gaze turned from worried to pleading, his lips trying to form her name. Standing back up, Akira grunted irascibly. "Dammit, couldn't think of anything good as last words for ya. Doesn't matter anyway, it's happening in five... four... three... two... one."

Nothing happened. Awkward. The sacrifice's eyes communicated fear and confusion.

Oh, there we go. A red pulse emanated from underneath the sacrifice, illuminating the flesh and bone within his body. The smirk emerged unabated upon Akira's lips, watching as his screaming, muted by the tape, increased in pitch and volume. Lumps began to appear on his body, and it became apparent that they were hands, pushing through the meat to emerge.

His flesh rent. A skeletal hand emerged from his chest, strewing bits of rib and lung everywhere as it reached up, clutching his heart as it struggled through its last few palpitations, spurting his lifeblood over himself. One last whine of abject pain and he expired, his head lolling to one side as his soul was dragged screaming into the newly-formed pit below. Another hand punched through his stomach. Another came through the throat, clutching a handful of meat. Dozens of hands were now pushing themselves through the corpse, holding pieces of his body before descending and re-emerging, pulling his carcass piecemeal through the portal as sustenance for the beings within until there was nothing left but a black void several meters wide in the ground, surrounded with various viscera and bone fragments.

 _So it begins._

The world trembled with fear deep within itself. It had known unspeakable horrors inflicted upon its children before, and it wept to think how many would soon die.

Hours later at Yamaku Academy, Shinichi Nomiya burst into a room in a hurry. Flicking on the lights, he noted with satisfaction the massive computer to the right, but more of concern was the man slouching blearily over it. "Mutou! What are you doing!?" shouted the art teacher.

Mutou straightened up, turning his head sleepily to look at Nomiya. "Looking at the weather," he muttered.

"It's four in the morning! Why on earth are you so interested with the weather?"

"Because I've lost control of my life."

Nomiya stormed over, annoyed. "What's the weather got to do with anything?"

Mutou groaned, desperate for some sleep. "Massive divergence over Inverness. Freak storm out of nowhere." He pointed helpfully at a world map displayed on the screen, his finger vaguely indicating Africa.

"I know where it is, idiot!" scowled Nomiya as he barged Mutou out of the way and began to mash buttons. The global map was closed and a database pulled up. Finishing his piece with a final few flourishing taps of the keyboard, he looked up. "Inverness, current city of residence of Mr and Mrs Satou, parents of alumnus Lilly Satou. You're up at four o'clock to investigate _this_!?"

Mutou picked himself up dejectedly, resisting the urge to fall asleep then and there. "Look at the other details."

"Other daughter, Akira Satou... what does that have to do with anything!?"

Sighing, Mutou came over and opened another database. As he entered long and complex passwords he could only ever barely remember and decrypted the information, he entered the name of Akira Satou.

A single entry in red. Name, photo, miscellaneous details... _probable carrier of HHG 1_."

HHG. Hostis Humani Generis.

Enemy of mankind.

Nomiya's mouth fell open. No. This couldn't be, this was impossible, how could... in this day and age!?

"B-but..." Nomiya protested. "Yamaku isn't built to fight this kind of threat!"

"Not strictly true, boys," said a familiar voice from behind them. "Nomiya, you shouldn't leave the door open like that for people to hear."

Nomiya's energy dissipated instantly and he bowed his head. "Yes. My apologies, Headmistress."

She stepped past Nomiya towards the computer. She was middle-aged and lean with merciless eyes grey as iron behind half-moon spectacles. She wore a black suit. She always wore a black suit. Black jacket, blouse, skirt, shoes, all hanging off her like she was a skeleton. Her head tilted upwards, taking in all the information. "So Eris has emerged?"

"With all due respect, she's only a probabl-"

She gave Nomiya a look that made him stop and hang his head again.

"All the indications are there. She's emerged."

"Do we have a plan for this?" asked Mutou lazily.

"As it so happens, yes. We have an elite task force dedicated to hunting and destroying beings such as this."

"We do?" This revelation snapped Mutou a little out of his torpor.

"Indeed," she nodded solemnly, "A crack team of operatives, their entire lives orchestrated according to our plans, all their training hypnotically sealed to only be released in dire emergencies, and this is perhaps the direst emergency to ever transpire."

"What... When was this authorised!?" shouted Nomiya indignantly.

"Quiet, Shinichi. You never know who else is listening." The Headmistress paused with relish. "The Yamaku Institution has always been dedicated to the defence of our world against supernatural forces by _any means necessary_ , correct?"

The art teacher swallowed nervously, not daring to meet her piercing gaze. "Yes, ma'am."

"This latest project was enacted eighteen years ago. Eight babies were hand-picked at birth, and throughout their lives were injured in accidents or had their health sabotaged to incur sufficient disability to bring them all to this institution, and they were trained to combat the supernatural above and beyond the usual threat. For instance, an ancient and malicious goddess re-awakening after over a millennium."

Nomiya was awed. Mutou was too tired to be awed.

"No other government has this type of institution. These eight might be the last line of defense between the world and its ruin.

Nomiya finally lifted his head and looked at the Headmistress. "So..."

"Yes. Project: 'Katawa Shoujo' is go."


End file.
